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Leave us be till Jan 15, beg bauxite lorry drivers and operators

Bauxite lorry drivers and operators here have called on the relevant enforcement agencies to be cooperative and to leave them undisturbed to move and transport the mineral to the port before the three-month moratorium begins on Jan 15.

Operator Khor Chin Keat, 31, who has 20 lorries and has been involved in the transportation of bauxite for over a year, said they had no problem to adhere to the ruling, but ample time and space should also be given to enable them to earn as much as they could to cover their expenses and support their families during the moratorium period.

"If they want us to stop our operations for three months, we will. But, give us the chance to take out as many (bauxite) as possible during the remaining time.

"Don't make it harder for us, like the 'disruption' by enforcement officers from the Land and Mineral Office earlier today," he told reporters at Felda Bukit Goh in Kuantan.

He said such a 'disruption' would affect the income of lorry drivers as what they earned would depend on the amount of trips they made, which is RM60 per trip.

Lorry driver Zul Ahmad, 41, said some of his colleagues had resorted to borrowing money from the operators after their trips had to be reduced due to enforcement operations.

"Some people think it was an easy job, but we actually have to drive the lorries into the bauxite storage area as early as 4am and wait, sometimes until 6pm, before we can leave the place to take the mineral to the port.

"At the port, we have to wait for a few more hours to unload the bauxite. So, in one day, we can only hope to make one or two trips, or if we are lucky, three," he said.

Zul said six months ago, he could easily earn RM7,000 a month, but of late, it had been very difficult to even earn RM1,500.

With the announcement about the moratorium period, he said he was planning to take his lorry to his hometown in Penang to find another job.

Another driver, K Siva from Ipoh, Perak, said the monthly installment for his 18-tyre lorry had been in arrears for the past two months.

"If they (enforcers) keep bugging us, then how are we going to earn a living?" he chided.

- Bernama

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